It takes all sorts to make a community of any kind, including a community of trail runners. There was a great example of that at our inaugural Karekare Trails Training Camp this weekend. We had four guests of widely varying ability including someone who’d run a sub-10 hr 100k and someone who’d taken 23 hrs to cover the same distance. But what we all shared was a love of the trails and the camaraderie that goes with it. I felt hugely privileged to act as guide to this small group of people that had come together from scattered points around the North Island (and even included one recent arrival from Australia). To share my knowledge and adoration of some of the best trails the Waitakeres can offer was very much a labour of love and one I so look forward to repeating at future camps.

So to Steve, Gary, Matt and Kristian – thanks for being my guinea pigs. I’ve spent countless hundreds of hours pounding those trails but few have been more fun than our adventures together this weekend. This is what makes the time and money invested in Running Wild so worthwhile.